


A Little Fall Of Rain Can Hardly Hurt Me Now

by jueanti



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: M/M, Major Character Death Warning, Tumblr Prompt, blood warning, death warning, fuck tags, im a sucker for angst dont even look at me, im not even sorry, implied onsided percy/nico, is that a tag, love these gay boys, this is inspired by both the tumblr prompt and eponine's death scene from les miserables, um its... gay?, what do people even tag though oh my god
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-16
Updated: 2014-05-16
Packaged: 2018-01-24 23:46:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1621364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jueanti/pseuds/jueanti
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine...<br/>You make me happy when skies are grey.<br/>You'll never know, dear, how much I love you;<br/>Please don't take my sunshine away."</p>
<p>Don't make mistakes during a battle, or it's going to cost you. You're going to bleed out in the arms of the boy you love, and he's going to be a big baby about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Little Fall Of Rain Can Hardly Hurt Me Now

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, this is my first fic I'm actually willing to post! It's un-betad, so please forgive any mistakes! Criticism is welcome, and feedback of all kinds are appreciated! I wrote this based after Eponine's death scene in Les Mis, hence the title. As with the death of a major character, I'm also including a trigger warning for graphic descriptions of blood. If that triggers you, I don't advise you read this fic! ;_; Take care of yourself!
> 
> A short reminder that I am not, unfortunately, Tio Rick in disguise. I'm not that clever. I could never write his books, and he will not read my fanfiction nor be my bff. One day. One day.  
> (Rights for all books and characters belong to Rick Riordan and I do not, in any way, own them.)
> 
> Aight, cue the angst.

Percy felt like he couldn't breathe; the blood was everywhere. Cascading down Nico’s sides and running in small rivulets over Percy’s fingers, coming out of Nico’s throat with every hacking cough the smaller boy gave. It soaked Nico’s clothes, making them stick to his limp and emasculated body. Red was all he could see. Percy bent over Nico’s lithe figure, trying to hold back tears. It didn't matter. They dripped off of his nose anyway, sliding down his face and neck to dampen the orange collar of his Camp Half Blood tshirt. He cradled Nico closer as if in apology for the mess, trying to stem the oncoming flow of blood. It wouldn't stop. They had run out of ambrosia long ago, and the nectar in Percy’s flask had run dry. He could see in the son of Hades’ dark eyes that it was going to be too late, but he futilely kept trying. _It didn't matter that the sword had gone through his lung, it didn't matter how deep it was; no, it didn't matter at all_ , Percy told himself, against his better judgement and the stark evidence before him.

“Gods, please. Please, Nico.” The words rushed out of him in desperation. “You’re going to live, you hear me? You’re going to live!” He had to save the boy. Failing was not- _could not_ be an option. Percy had too many lives on his conscience. He didn't need to add the frail little boy bleeding out in his arms to his list.

Nico chucked, blood dribbling down his lips to pool at the crevice between his chin and mouth before sliding down his face. The sound was almost harsh, self-decapitating in a strange way. Percy had never really applied that to Nico. Come to think of it, he never really had paid much attention to the boy.

“Come on, Percy. You think I don’t know how death works?” Nico had always wondered what it would feel like, seeing it’s reminder every day. He wondered if it always made you always felt this raw, this exposed.

Percy shook his head. “You’ll live!”

“I’m a child of the Underworld. After you lose this much blood, I know it’s pretty much inevitable.” He choked on the last word, coughing up more blood.

“NO!” Percy roared, more tears dripping down his face. “I won’t let you! I promised Bianca that I’d look after you!”

Nico’s eyes tightened painfully at the mention of his sister's name. She was still dead, and the promises meant nothing. Nothing could bring her back. He had tried.

“It’s okay, Percy.”

“It’s not okay!” Percy shook his head. Every life mattered. Nico was just a kid, just a little kid he’d sworn to protect. He raised one bloodied hand and pushed Nico’s sweat-soaked bangs back, smearing a streak of crimson across his forehead. The young boy was shaking, and his skin felt frigid to the touch.

“It’s ironic, almost. Drowning on blood.” Nico mused, his breath slightly labored.

“I-I can’t. I can’t pull it out of your lungs. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Nico.” He had promised her, promised himself that he’d protect Nico. It wasn't the first time he had broken a promise to the boy. Percy wanted more time. He wanted to fix the mistakes in the past, all the things he had ignored and grown to regret. All those promises broken. The sharp twang of the metallic smell in the air was like a kick to the gut, reminding him that those wrongs would never be righted.

Nico’s hand rose, unsteadily, to clutch Percy’s. The blood trapped between their palms was sticky, making soft squelching noises as Percy’s grip increased. He was shaking almost as bad as Nico was. Fingers entwined between the two, blood standing out in a stark contrast against their skin. Nico made a garbed shushing noise as he tried to comfort Percy.

“It’s okay.”

“No!” Percy spat, a fresh flood of tears pouring down his face. Nico rubbed a soothing circle across the back of Percy’s hand with his thumb. He hesitated for a moment before speaking. He didn’t have long. He was okay with that, he guessed. How would his death be any different than living?

“Mama used to sing a song to Bianca and I, when we were young. It was sung to loved ones.” Maria used to soothe him with it, cradling both Nico and Bianca against her breast as she hummed in Italian with a voice that flowed like silk. Her dress had been inky-black, and between it’s folds it had trapped the scents of burning incense and crushed rose-petals. In those moments, he had felt loved. He had felt like he could do anything, go anywhere, be a hero. How things had changed. He had gone to the ends of Tartarus for love. Nico looked upwards towards the blue sky, casting his eyes away from the weeping boy.

He loved Percy, and Percy would never understand that he wanted him in the way Annabeth had him. He was Nico’s loved one. In a small voice, he began to sing.

“ _You are my sunshine, my only sunshine… you make me h-happy, when skies are gray._ ” He choked here, trying to stop a cough bubbling in his throat.

“ _You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you… please don’t take my sunshine away._ ” He began to sing the next line, trying to remember his mother’s soft voice as he did so. It seemed harder to. He felt almost dizzy. Percy gripped him tighter. It was a small comfort, but he almost wished he wouldn't. His chest hurt, and his throat felt tight. He didn't realize why until he felt a tear slide down his cheek.

“ _The other n-night, dear, as I lay sleeping… I dreamt I held you, in my arms. When I awoke, dear, I was mistaken… so I hung my head, and I cried._ ” Nico’s coughing was increasing in frequency, and it pained him to breathe. Still, he thought triumphantly how it was a victory that Percy had stopped crying so hard. He looked back towards him, remembering the time that Percy was too embarrassed to sing to open the door to the Underworld. The corner of Nico’s mouth tilted up into a smile despite the tears leaking down Percy’s face.

“ _Tu sei il mio sole, la mia unica sunshine… tu mi rendi felice quando i cieli sono grigi. Non si sa mai, caro, quanto ti amo… si prega di non prendere il mio sole lontano._ ” He closed his eyes and tried to finish the song in the language his mother had sung it in, the memories he had only remembered such a short time ago. Bianca had sung it to him, once. It seemed only fitting that he was to sing it to Percy. Love, in all it’s forms; from motherly, to sisterly, to romantic.

He couldn't stop the next violent cough that wracked his body. His eyes caught Percy’s as he opened them, and the elder boy’s were filled with anguish. The color seagreen shone through brightly and glinted, watery. Percy was beautiful, even in sadness. With his dark hair in a mess all over his head and his eyes rimmed in red, Percy was still a prince. He was still Nico’s hero.

“It’s okay, Percy. It will be over, s-soon.” He forced out, trying to smile. He had to be strong for Percy. Couldn't fall apart now and tell him how much he loved him or something stupid like that. He pulled their shaking, bloodied mess of hands over his chest. _Not over your heart_ , he scolded himself.

“Don’t be a baby about it.” Nico murmured. He couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. _It really is okay_ , he thought. _It’s better that I don’t live_. He could almost see Thanatos now. Just a bit longer, and he’d be waking up in Charon’s lobby...

“Please don’t- no, Nico, don’t you dare shut your eyes!” Percy growled. Nico’s breath had stopped, the rise and fall of his chest had ceased. Percy’s heart drummed loudly in his ears as he desperately dropped the boy’s limp hand and scrambled for a pulse.

“Please, please, please, oh gods…”

Nothing.

A strangled noise escaped Percy’s throat, and he bent forward and cried over the boy he never really knew.

“ _I’ll always love you and make you happy… if you only will stay the same. But if you leave me, to love another… you’ll regret it all one day._

_You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are grey. You’ll never know dear, how much I love you..._ ” He owed it to him to finish his song. In a life that seemed just as far away, Percy remembered his own mother singing it to him. It was truly a song about love. The tears were bitter in his mouth, his breath labored.

“ _... please don’t take my sunshine away._ ” He slid Nico off his lap, blood smearing across his jeans. Percy stood up, bending to gather the boy’s small body. In life Nico had been small, but death had seemed to dwarf him in ways it shouldn't hold power over.

“ _Please don’t take my sunshine away._ ” He hoisted the blood-soaked corpse into his arms and carried it bridal-style to the remaining crew of the Argo ll, his voice nearly toneless.

At least Hazel would have something to bury.

**Author's Note:**

> H a ha,,,, no. dON't even look at me.  
> If u do wish to look for me though, my tumblr is umbrakinesiss!


End file.
